A beautiful day in Monterey. Top down, all day to photograph Point Lobos. Wife in a class (What's taking so long to take a picture).Crank up the car-wife pokes head out of the motel door. "Would you like to take your camera?" That wasn't the end. I get to a "good spot" set up etc. Whip out the Pentax spotmeter, Depress the trigger=NADA, nuthin. Apparently my loupe was pressing against the trigger in the backpack and the Battery pooped out. Spare? sure, at home. Sunny 16 here I come. Did this ever happen to Ansel? George

-- George Nedleman (gnln@thegrid.net), June 11, 2000

Answers

Sure - If I remember correctly, when Ansel was racing to make the "Moonrise" photograph he couldn't find his meter. Actually you were lucky your wife reminded you to bring your camera. Twice I've gone on photography trips and lbrought a backpack filled with everything you could possibly need except the camera. A meter you can live without, but a camera is an absolute necessity.

-- Brian Ellis (bellis@tampabay.rr.com), June 11, 2000.

What, you never heard the "Moonrise" story?

Weston's static electricty loading holders?

The time when Edward & Charis visited Ansel, whilst Guggenheiming and Ol Devil Anse' kept asuring them that the mosquitos would be driven away by the elevation/rain/campfire smoke, etc. etc. etc. ???? And he wound up unloading and loading while they tried to keep the blood- suckers of his ears while he sweated it out in the changing bag?

-- Sean yates (yatescats@yahoo.com), June 11, 2000.

What, you never heard the "Moonrise" story?

Weston's static electricty loading holders?

The time when Edward & Charis visited Ansel, whilst Guggenheiming and Ol Devil Anse' kept asuring them that the mosquitos would be driven away by the elevation/rain/campfire smoke, etc. etc. etc. ???? And he wound up unloading and loading for Ed'ard while they tried to keep the blood-suckers of his ears while he sweated it out in the changing bag?

-- Sean yates (yatescats@yahoo.com), June 11, 2000.

The "real question" is this: did you take any pictures at Point Lobos that had not been taken before?

-- Andreas Carl (andreas@physio.unr.edu), June 12, 2000.

Cole Weston once said,

"It doesn't matter if it's been done before. It's ALL been done before. The point is to do it your way."

-- Sean yates (yatescats@yahoo.com), June 12, 2000.

Correction, it's ALMOST all been done before. :-) The easy stuff has been done before. Has anyone shot from the summit of Everest, K2 or Trango Tower w/ a 4x5 before? Here's a opportunity for a first! I try to shoot things in hard-to-get-to places (not as hard as the above, though :-) ) that require some stamina to get to. Still, most have been shot I'm sure, but not shot to death.:-) Back when A.A. was shooting, he had a mule. You can't bring mules into many national parks anymore. BTW, in his video interview, he mentions that he did forget to bring his lightmeter once.

-- James Chow (dr_jchow@yahoo.com), June 12, 2000.

George... did I ever tell you about the time I took a color 8x10 photograph of Elvis stepping out of a flying saucer in front of the Taj Mahal...Then when I go to the lab to pick-up the photograph they tell me there is no charge because they ruined the negative...They are only responsible for the cost of the film you know !!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Dave {;-(

-- Dave Richhart (pritprat@erinet.com), June 12, 2000.

Dave,

Was that before or after THe King shook hands with Jacquie O., Marilyn and the Loch Ness Monster?

-- Sean yates (yatescats@yahoo.com), June 12, 2000.

George do you really need a light meter at Point Lobos?All the images I've seen of this area, believe me I would drop everything to pay it a visit, have been either taken in bright sun or fog. That must average out at between zone V/VI. Pay a visit to the UK, even with a light(spot)meter you'll be bloody lucky to get an accurate reading. You set up in fine sunshine, just about to trip the shutter, it starts to rain. Your average zone VI is now down to zone IV, you are now faced with the opportunity of a dark moody image so after making the necessary adjustments you trip the shutter at the very moment the sun comes out and lights you up like a Christmas tree. Sod it I'm taking up needlework! George you don't know how lucky you really are. All the best, regards, Trevor.

-- Trevor Crone (trevor.crone@uk.dreamcast.com), June 12, 2000.

Then there are those of us who are better then the rest of you because we never forget to bring the meter or the camera. Its the film that we leave behind!

-- Stephen Willard (willard@lvld.hp.com), June 12, 2000.

I can just see myself on the sumit of Everest, looking around in awe, getting the 4x5 setup, and saying to myself, well, the last time I saw the spotmeter was at base camp, right?

-- fw (finneganswake@altavista.net), June 12, 2000.

BTW...Everest has been filmed in IMAX, and it is an awesome piece of work. The film crew was on the mountain in 1996, the same time as the infamous blizzard that resulted in several deaths. The film crew gave up much valuable time to help in the rescue.

The story is documented in the book "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakaur...and it is an excellent read about how everything can go to hell in a very short period of time.

Check out the website at http://www.outsidemag.com/magazine/0996/9609feev.html

-- Dave Richhart (pritprat@erinet.com), June 13, 2000.

Hmmm! Well, I am happy to see that there are others that roar off and forget their cameras. I am at the age where if my children found out, they might consider putting me in a controlled environment. I assume you guys are younger so I can claim that is just a natural thing for photographers to do-right?

-- Richard C. Trochlil (trochlilbb@neumedia.net), June 15, 2000.